General Discussion

Hi everyone, just found this forum.  I'm thinking of moving to Dawlish or area from the midlands to be near the sea,in order to settle down and integrate in order to prepare for retirement in 6 plus years or so.  What's it like living the area and are folk friendly towards newcomers?  Thanks,Orla.

Great place to live very very quiet in the Winter very very busy in the summer most folk are friendly great place to retire good walking in the area not to far from the M5 and all points north.

Thanks for your reply leatashAre there plenty of things to get involved in, clubs, societies etc. especially in the winter months?  I see from reports that Torquay has really gone down hill over the last couple of decades.  Don't know how true this is as haven't been there for many years.  Hopefully the same hasn't happened to Dawlish?  Orla.

Orla, go for it, move here.

Dawlish is a great place to live, sure it has the same issues that any town has but there is loads to do.  Plenty of clubs, lots of things to volunteer your time to - museum, carnival, folk festival, friends of the hospital

etc etc

You won't regret moving here (you'll feel at home anyway - lots of other midlanders already here )

Hi Duckileaks,  thanks for the encouragement and advice  I will have to organise a trip down there to have a look around.  Went down to Sidmouth and Seaton in April but somehow they didn't feel right.  Didn't have enough tme to do any more. Just been looking at videos of waves going over the trains.  Looks interesting!

Torquay, like many places, is far better than it used to be. You really need to judge for yourself, rather than be swayed by the Negative Nellies that you get on websites like this one. 

Hi Orla.

I moved here over 25 years ago and have no regrets.

No problem with 'newcomers' as a large portion of the population are from 'outside' anyway.

As already been said, nice walks around the area, Dartmoor is less than an hours drive away.

Public transport is regular with local busses including the 'shopper' bus, road and rail links and National Express also serve the area.

Plenty to keep you occupied here including the theatre, RAFA, Legion and other associations.

Orla

See the 'Societies' page on this website for an (incomplete) list of local things you could get involved in.  Plenty going on here.

Orla, living down here, if you are use to city living is a bit like going back in time a few decades. If you pick the right part of Dawlish you can wake up in the morning to the sounds of sheep, lambs, cows, calfs, crows and other birds and a lack of vehicle/neighbour's noise.

I have been here nearly a decade and a half and don't regret moving form london, but do your homework on where you would like to live and who you will live next door to. There are some strange folk down here as everywhere and once you have moved into your new property you are stuck with them.

Lovely part of the country shame about the neighbours in my area, but out and about Dawlish can be a joy to walk around.

Also be aware there are a lot of hills around here and not many flat area's.

@Orla, if you use facebook sign up to some of the dawlish sites on there like eyes of dawlish which shares a lot of information on what's happening in the area - the plus side of social media! there's oodles to do if you want to get involved. there's a fair mix of locals and people who've moved here from elsewhere (hate the terms outsiders and incomers) and i'm not aware of any problems.

Hope you choose Dawlish and enjoy living here.

Its a great place to live and is even better for retirement providing your quite fit and healthy. Down sides would be infrastructure or seeming lack of it transport can be a bit hit and miss at times as there's only one road in and out. Buses are regular at 30 min intervals. Getting a doctors appointment can be a joke and is only going to get worse as we have become the dumping ground for Teignbridge's new housing commitment. Oh and the shops are absolutely rubbish or non-existant with only two national brands, Co-op and Boots. We have a medium sized Sainsbury's which is a total rip off and has the highest pricing structure outside London. Which brings me to the one thing you may find off putting compared with the midlands and thats the cost of living here. Council tax is the highest in the area, bus fares are outrageous, house prices and especially rents can be very high as they are geared around the holiday let business. Best way to decide would be to bring a nice caravan down here and pay for a full season pitch at a nice park like Cofton holiday park. Then travel around and see where you fancy and can afford.

Hi all and thanks for your replies.  Food  for thought...   Deedoodle:  are you able to advise then on the best parts of Dawlish to live or areas to avoid in your opinion.  Many thanks and take care.

That request will open a can of worms.